Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1573

Beer was poured into a clear glass. White bubbles rose and fizzed.

Jeong Hong-geun stared at the beer filling the glass.

He didn’t usually enjoy beer.

As he got older, beer had become a bit much for him. He preferred cleaner liquors that didn’t require drinking large quantities to feel the effects.

But when his chest felt as tight as it did today, nothing cleared his head like a good beer.

Jeong Hong-geun, having filled his glass, waited for the foam to settle before taking a long gulp.

“Haa.”

He downed half the beer in one go, then took the glass from his lips and let out a soft groan.

The sensation of the cold beer going down his throat was fully waking him up.

‘Did I make the right choice?’

Truthfully, he still wasn’t sure.

And he wouldn’t know for a while. These kinds of things couldn’t be judged until the results were in.

A choice that seemed foolish now could become a stroke of genius later, and a choice that seemed obvious now could lead someone down a dead end.

The only thing he could trust was his gut.

And the gut feeling that had kept him alive and proven its worth time and time again.

His gut was screaming at him.

Don’t let go, don’t ever let go of this thread.

He trusted that feeling completely, but he couldn’t shake the unease that was gnawing at his heart. This was just too unpredictable.

He didn’t know.

Jeong Hong-geun knew nothing about MK.

He couldn’t understand why the government was being so submissive to such a large corporation.

‘No, that can’t be it.’

If there was a reason, it wasn’t MK.

It was Kang Jin-ho, that man himself.

From the very first time he met the Prime Minister, there was no mention of MK. Only subtle hints about Kang Jin-ho.

So, how should he interpret this?

“Is one man’s power greater than that of a corporation?”

Or was there something else hidden, something other than MK?

Jeong Hong-geun frowned.

This ambiguity was tormenting him.

He had decided to latch onto Kang Jin-ho, but the target he was latching onto was so vague. It wasn’t a clear entity like the Japan of the past, the United States, or even a military regime.

So, it was hard to decide how to use this situation.

Besides…

‘Expanding into Japan, huh…’

Jeong Hong-geun sighed deeply.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan was at an all-time high. In that situation, a Korean company was going to try to expand into Japan and handle distribution? Distribution of all things?

Distribution was a business where customers would easily switch if there was an alternative. And Japan had plenty of alternatives to offer.

Yet, it was distribution of all things.

What was even more incomprehensible was that Prime Minister Go Han-bong, who couldn’t possibly be unaware of this situation, had applauded the idea.

‘It feels like the world has gone mad except for me.’

Or maybe Jeong Hong-geun was the one who had gone mad.

‘Am I getting old?’

He had been joking around with Park Sang-woo and the others, saying he was getting old, but deep down, Jeong Hong-geun still thought he was the one leading the world. He might not be as good as he was in his prime, but his experience and wisdom made up for it, so he was still in the same league.

But after experiencing this series of events, he began to wonder if he was falling behind.

It felt like the world was moving on without him.

“I don’t know.”

Jeong Hong-geun sighed deeply.

“Hoo.”

He was starting to crave a cigarette.

He had been cutting back recently, but he kept wanting to smoke. It must be because his stress was increasing.

The doctors said that smoking wouldn’t reduce stress, that it only provided temporary relief… but they didn’t know what they were talking about.

‘That temporary relief is what matters.’

He chuckled, remembering when he had run into the doctor who had been nagging him in the smoking area.

‘Maybe I’ll have a smoke…’

That’s when it happened.

“Hmm?”

Jeong Hong-geun frowned slightly.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

Maybe it was because he was thinking about having a cigarette, but he could smell the scent of smoke. A pungent smell.

Jeong Hong-geun tilted his head and sniffed, realizing that the smell wasn’t his imagination. His expression hardened.

“Who?”

He was the only one who smoked in this house.

And it couldn’t be coming from outside. His house was surrounded by a large garden. There was no way the smell of smoke could travel that far.

So, what was this smell?

The question was quickly answered.

Thud, thud, thud.

Jeong Hong-geun whipped his head around.

Footsteps were coming from the dark hallway leading to the living room. Low, rhythmic footsteps, neither fast nor slow, but leisurely.

Jeong Hong-geun’s body stiffened.

‘Who?’

There was no one in the house right now.

Then who was walking towards him?

Sweat beaded on Jeong Hong-geun’s forehead.

‘The, the lights…’

It was a mistake to turn off the living room lights because his eyes hurt. He couldn’t see who was coming down the hallway.

That’s when it happened.

Click, click.

Along with the sound of something burning briefly, a bright red dot appeared at the end of the hallway.

Then, it slowly began to lose its light.

Jeong Hong-geun instinctively knew that the light was the end of a cigarette. Someone was smoking and walking towards him.

This was not a situation that could be considered friendly.

Jeong Hong-geun slipped his hand into his pocket.

‘The police… no, my secretary?’ He was about to call someone to report the situation.

Thud.

The man stepped out of the hallway and into the living room.

The dim light illuminated the man’s face, and Jeong Hong-geun’s hand, which was gripping his phone, went limp.

A familiar face.

No, an unfamiliar face…

No.

A familiar face.

“Hoo.”

The face, hidden by the smoke he exhaled, became clear.

“C-Chairman Kang?”

Kang Jin-ho.

The person Jeong Hong-geun saw was definitely Kang Jin-ho.

But…

Was that really Kang Jin-ho?

Jeong Hong-geun trembled at the deep sense of unease that was washing over him.

He had Kang Jin-ho’s face, Kang Jin-ho’s build, but the person in front of him seemed completely different from the Kang Jin-ho he knew.

The atmosphere was completely different.

The Kang Jin-ho he had seen until now was so easygoing and gentle that he wondered how he had managed to run such a large corporation. But the Kang Jin-ho in front of him was so heavy and dark that it instantly dispelled those thoughts.

Thud, thud.

Kang Jin-ho walked over without answering and sat down on the sofa.

Then, he tossed the burnt-out cigarette into the ashtray on the table.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho took out a new cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it. Then, he leaned back on the sofa and stared down at Jeong Hong-geun.

“Smoke.”

“Weren’t you about to smoke?”

Jeong Hong-geun’s trembling hand grabbed the cigarette pack.

He didn’t know what was going on, but it seemed best to do what Kang Jin-ho said. No, he felt like he had to.

His hands were shaking.

Jeong Hong-geun watched his trembling fingertips and held his breath.

‘Am I shaking?’

Why?

Because a young man he couldn’t physically overpower had come to him with unknown intentions?

Was he worried about being beaten to death?

That couldn’t be it.

He was Jeong Hong-geun.

He had faced death countless times in his life. He had crossed the line between life and death countless times, and he had never been overcome by fear.

This situation was no threat to him.

So, why was he shaking?

‘It feels like I’m being crushed.’

His trembling eyes stared at Kang Jin-ho.

The person in front of him was too immense.

The Kang Jin-ho whose atmosphere had changed was an overwhelming ruler who could stop your heart just by making eye contact.

Jeong Hong-geun, who had experienced countless powerful and influential people, knew. This man… this man was a king. A ruthless dictator, a tyrant who didn’t look back.

Now, everything made sense.

Someone like this could have accomplished anything. In any field, he would have done things that others couldn’t even imagine.

Being hostile to someone like this was like jumping into a fire with gunpowder.

Cold sweat began to pour down Jeong Hong-geun’s face.

‘Go Han-bong.’

He understood why the Prime Minister had tried so desperately to stop him. In his eyes, Jeong Hong-geun must have looked like a moth flying into a flame.

Jeong Hong-geun took the cigarette with his trembling hand and put it in his mouth. But his fingertips were shaking so badly that he couldn’t light it properly.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit Jeong Hong-geun’s cigarette for him.

Jeong Hong-geun took the lit cigarette from his hand and immediately bowed his head in thanks.

He understood.

Jeong Hong-geun, who had a sense that perfectly distinguished between those stronger and weaker than himself, instinctively understood how strong the person in front of him was.

An overwhelming strength that didn’t even allow for calculation.

It was a realm that could never be understood with the mind.

“Alright.”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Let’s put aside the games we’ve been playing and have a real conversation.”

Kang Jin-ho’s calm voice echoed like thunder in Jeong Hong-geun’s head.

“You want to come under me?”

It was different.

What he wanted, what he had told Kang Jin-ho, was not complete submission.

But Jeong Hong-geun didn’t feel the need to object.

If the subject of the negotiation changed, the content of the negotiation had to change as well.

The vague Kang Jin-ho and the Kang Jin-ho in front of him were different people. So, the content had to change.

“Yes, Chairman. I will serve you with all my heart.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly.

His eyes began to turn blood red.

Jeong Hong-geun’s heart sank at the terrifying sight.

“Don’t just say whatever comes to mind, tell me what you want.”

“This is a deal. And a contract. I’m going to use you. So, what do you want from me?”

“I, I… what I want…”

A trembling voice.

Eyes that didn’t know where to look.

A body drenched in cold sweat.

Jeong Hong-geun, having overcome all of that, said as if groaning.

“Glory, what I want is glory. Glory that will last forever!”

“Bow down.”

Kang Jin-ho said coldly.

“Bow your head, offer what you have, and submit to me.”

Jeong Hong-geun’s posture gradually lowered.

“Then I will give you what you want. I will only take the price.”

Jeong Hong-geun stood up. Then, with a dazed look on his face, he prostrated himself on the spot.

“I will serve you.”

A sinister smile appeared on Kang Jin-ho’s lips as he looked at the prostrate Jeong Hong-geun.

“The contract is complete.”